The Ignatian Way Alumni
Class of 2026
PReachers
August Drake-Ericson
Non-Profit Leader, Seattle
“I almost let this program get away. I'm so glad that I took this opportunity. It really, really taught us to take some time to discern who we are and who we will be as we move forward. Just knowing that there's this beautiful community that's searching and willing to embrace the goodness of God in the teachings and the practices of Ignatius was mind-opening for me.”
Spring Project: Meet & Prayer with Mayor Katie Wilson
Caleb Encinas-Cortes
Associate Pastor, United Methodist Church, Federal Way
“I've not only grown as a preacher, as a teacher, but also I've been fed by the spiritual direction that I received. It has given me greater clarity about my cause as a United Methodist pastor. Particularly in these times, where we should be standing in the ways that we can. I must be rooted and drink from the deep wells of a great spiritual tradition, which the Jesuits have introduced me to.”
Spring Project: Fundraising & The Ignatian Way, Ignatian Spirituality Center
Cezanne Hardy
Chaplain, Providence and Harborview Hospitals, Seattle
“The Ignatian Way is God in all things. And to that end, God is never far. God is in me and God is in those I serve. And God is the bridge between all things. I was never far from discernment of God's presence, wisdom, and light. I am most grateful for my own growth and bearing witness to the growth of those in this inaugural cohort. I'm grateful for the shedding of my fears, for claiming a spoken voice.
Spring Project: The Offertory Sessions: Ignatian Evening Retreats Using Art
Megan Kush
Associate Director of Pastoral Care, Seattle University, Seattle
“We got to companion one another. We were a group of people who didn't know each other before. We were strangers who became friends. We became cheerleaders for one another. We became trusted companions and colleagues in ministry. We've been witness to each other's lives and our growth, all with the desire to continue to love others and to help others encounter the God of love.”
Spring Project: Ignatian Communal Discernment Homily on Love
Kelli Martin
Freelance Book Editor & Consultant, Seattle
“The Ignatian Way gently urged me to expand safety and comfort into choosing vulnerability and risk; it made me step from comfort into more confidence, from feeling like I had to always stick to a script, to knowing when and how to be creative and to be spontaneous. And I think that was listening to God's voice and my desires, which we learned is a very Ignatian thing to do. My career has been working with other people's voices, yet this group shepherded my voice, and not just my preaching voice, but also my voice in the world. I have not felt this kind of belonging and cohesiveness in a group in years.”
Spring Project: Congregational Writing Workshop on Ignatian Spirituality
Silas Sham
Lead Pastor, Bethany Community Church – Northeast, Seattle
“The time that we've spent together in this cohort has been one of listening to the guidance of the Spirit and hearing God's voice through so many in the cohort, so many of the presenters, so many of the companions, so many of the ways that we have shared life together. It's been a gift, not just to me, but I'd say to my congregation, to the ones that you have empowered me and carried me to be able to carry voice to others.”
Spring Project: Preaching in the Ignatian Way: A Public Journal of Discernment
Spiritual Companions
Berwyn “BJ” Gonzalvo
Psychologist and Author, Seattle
“Looking back at the turn of events throughout this past year, through this program and in this community, and most importantly, the teachings, the Spiritual Exercises, the Examen, God was guiding me all along, giving me a template for how to face my cannonball moment.”
Spring Project: Navigating Career Change: A Practical Spiritual Guide Using the Daily Ignatian Examen
Elice Kim
Program Manager, Expedia Group, Seattle
“In an age where technology is doing more and more, I've been reminded of that beauty and that great privilege of being able to walk with others. The heart of companioning isn't in having the perfect answer, but just the profound gift and experience of being able to hold space and be there with another person, another person in progress to another person in progress, and to just bear witness to what they have to share, their stories, and their life.”
Spring Project: In the Steps of St Ignatius: A Local Pilgrimage through the Seattle University Campus
Lupita Torrez
Owner and Educator, The Mycelium Network
“In a moment of uncertainty, the teachings of St. Ignatius provide me a framework for deep discernment. They taught me how to manage my inner world, giving me the grace to navigate change with peace, trust, and resilience. To this entire community, you have gifted me with practices that will sustain me every morning and will change my life forever. Now I feel grateful calling to go out into the world and share the fruits of this, everything that I learned here.”
Spring Project: Love & Resilience Retreat for LatinX Communities
Kimanh Tran
Student and Intern, Renton
“A year ago, I was part of a non-violence pilgrimage on nuclear weapons in Washington State and became a part of the lives of Fumi Tosu and Nori Tosu, a Hiroshima bomb survivor. Getting to explore peace activism with Ignatian spirituality led me to understand the meaning of suffering and the meaning of love and compassion. I’ve also learned about peace within my family and within my relationships and within how I feel about myself. I appreciate the journey that I had and to learn about love and its impacts in moving and important ways.”
Spring Project: A Short Film: A Personal Journey from Ignatian Spirituality to Nuclear Disarmament